11 Mom Sayings It's Okay to Ditch

Mommy dearest always warned you about these things, and now, you find yourself repeating the maybe not-so-true sayings. In a quest to give his kids a better explanation than, "that's what grandma told me," Ken Jennings, author of Because I Said So!, uncovered the truth.

"Follow the five-second rule"

"Follow the five-second rule"

Even if that double-fudge brownie looks delicious, as soon as it comes into contact with contamination, it's done. There's nothing special about five seconds that suddenly makes the germs cling on. However, studies have found that it's incredibly difficult to make food unsafe by simply dropping it on the floor. "They'd have to coat the floor in e-coli," says Jennings. "While it's impolite to eat off of the floor, it's not something for parents to freak out about." In other words, there's no real need to give up that scrumptious dessert — especially if you're the one who dropped it while hunting for a midnight snack.

"Shaving makes hair grow back thicker"

"Shaving makes hair grow back thicker"

Middle school may be the only time in a girl's life that she's excited to do this beauty chore, so allow her to have her fun. Although hairs may appear coarser appear after shaving, the reality is that the end of the hair is merely blunter because longer hairs taper more than shorter ones. The hair follicle, which is set below the skin, has no idea it's being trimmed, and cannot respond by multiplying.